To teach a dog to sit, reward the movement before relying on a word or an empty hand.
Build the movement
Use a quiet place and comfortable surface. Stop if sitting seems uncomfortable; ask your vet.
From standing, guide a reward from near the nose over the head. Mark and reward when the bottom reaches the floor.
Dogs Trust says never to push the bottom down.
Battersea suggests capturing an unprompted sit if the overhead hand worries your dog.
If your dog follows without sitting, pause or repeat the comfortable guiding step. Do not add the word yet.
Transfer the cue
Once guiding is familiar, repeat with an empty hand and reward from the other hand.
Dogs Trust adds the word before the familiar gesture once sitting is reliable; then mark and reward the sit.
RSPCA instead introduces the word as the dog moves into position. These are different timings; use one approach consistently.
Following Battersea, say the learned word once. If no sit follows, use the known gesture; gradually make it smaller.
Agree which approach and word the household is using.
Practise and finish
Change your position, distance or a mild distraction separately. If responding stops, return to nearby, quiet practice with the known signal.
RSPCA includes an ending cue; use an agreed word to finish and let the dog move away.
Describe the last workable arrangement before the next session: where you both stood, the surface, the prompt and what happened. Ending an attempt is a result worth recording, too.
A sit lesson is separate from the complete bed and settling routine or greeting practice with a helper. If using a pouch, the training reward pouches category identifies equipment; it does not choose a suitable reward for your dog.
